Media Release – Police pursuit policy must be limited to avoid more deaths
Two years after the tragic death of Raymond Noel Lindsay Thomas during a police pursuit on 25 June 2017, a Direction Hearing yesterday before Coroner John Olle raised questions about inconsistencies in the evidence, including when police officers commenced the pursuit, and the speed their vehicle was travelling at. The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) […]
Media Release – Inquest to probe police pursuit death
Raymond Noel Lindsay Thomas, a 29-year-old Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Wiradjuri man, tragically passed away on 25 June 2017, after sustaining injuries during a police pursuit near his home. More than two years after his death, the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (‘VALS’) is representing Raymond’s family at a coronial hearing on 17 October 2019. Full statement […]
Media Release – VALS Submission to the Victorian Law Reform Commission on Committal Proceedings.
VALS believes that committal proceedings are an essential component of the criminal process, because of their critical function in ensuring the right to a fair trial. Cross-examination of witnesses at this early stage in the proceedings provides a vital opportunity to facilitate disclosure and test the prosecution’s case. In light of entrenched systemic racism in […]
Media Release – ”Tireless advocacy by the Day family leads to decriminalisation of public drunkeness.”
The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) welcomes the announcement of the Attorney-General to decriminalise public drunkenness and replace it with a health-based response. A full media statement can be located below.Media Release Media contact:Patrick Warner (pwarner@vals.org.au) and Isabel Robinson (irobinson@vals.org.au)